News Release

“Prosecute the perpetrators – why we should hold ISIS-terrorists to account”

The Holy See and UN NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief are hosting a UN-event in New York, 2 November; Presentations will focus on the future of religious and ethnic minorities in Syria and Iraq

30 Oct 2017

EVENT:Peace, Reconciliation, and Justice:
The Future of Religious and Ethnic Minorities Victimized by Daesh

SPEAKERS:

Archbishop Bernadito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN

NEW YORK – In Syria and Iraq, ISIS/Daesh fighters perpetrated a well-documented genocide against Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities. On 2 November 2017, The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief are co-organizing an event focusing on the future of persecuted religious and ethnic minorities.

“The future of religious minorities victimized by ISIS/Daesh is of critical importance. While the terror-organisation seems to be crumbling, we need to collect and preserve evidence of their atrocities and ultimately hold them to account,” said Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International.

“ADF International is doing everything we can to support the Mechanism for Syria and the up-and-coming Investigate Team for Iraq. It would be better to prevent crimes. But when crimes cannot be prevented, they must be prosecuted. Otherwise law is shown to be meaningless. The laws that protect freedom of religion are not meaningless, and now is the time to prove it.”

Victims, experts, and diplomats

The event will feature victims, experts, and high-level diplomats who will discuss the current situation in the Middle East and together contemplate ways of bringing about restoration, justice, and reconciliation. Only recently, the UN Security Council created a team that will launch an investigation into the crimes committed by ISIS/Daesh in Iraq. The terror-group is continually losing control in the region and evidence of the atrocities may soon be lost.

One of the speakers will be Ekhlas Khudhur Bajoo, an Iraqi woman from the ethnic group of the Yazidis, who was captured by ISIS/Daesh, while her family was slaughtered. After she had managed to escape, she started to speak publicly about the humiliating and agonizing time she had been forced to endure as a slave of the terrorists.

“No person or group should live in fear of being killed, tortured, or oppressed because of their religious beliefs. This event will promote a better understanding within the United Nations of the plight of the victims in Syria and Iraq. We also ask for a greater commitment from the international community to prevent this from happening again,” said Kelsey Zorzi, UN Counsel for ADF International.